Hydraulic steering gear



Sept. 19, 1933. E WISNER 1,927,580

HYDRAULIC STEERING GE AR Filed Dec. 28, 1929 INVENTOR construction by which these objects are attained The gears 9 and are Positioned in t Patented Sept. 19, 1933 v d w 4 1,927,580 v UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICE 1,92'z,5ac" HYDRAULIC STEERING GEAR Emens n. Wisner, Detroit,- Mich.

Application December 28, 1929 Serial No. 417,117

2 Claims. w 60-545) This invention relates to steering gears for here shown. The gear 9 meshes with the gear automobiles, and the object of the invention is to 10 and these gears intermesh in the channels 13 provide a hydraulically operated means for steerand 13a, of the housing 5 as shown in Fig. 2. At ing an automobile. one end the conduit 13 leads to a cylinder 14 and 5 Another object of the invention is to provide a at the opposite end tjhYconduit 13a'leads to a B steering device arranged to prevent road shocks cylinder 15. These cyl' ders 14 and 15 are formed from being transmitted to the steering wheel. by boring straig t t the block housing A further object of the invention is to provide and closing each end with a plug 16. I a hydraulic pump operated by turning of the A shaft 1'7 is rotatably mounted in the housing 0 steering wheel of the automobile in either direc- 5 and is provided with a short arm 18 atthe end 65 tion and arranged to turn the forward wheels extending down in h yl nd r b r A Pi n of the automobile in relation to the turning 19 is mounted in the cylinder 14, while a piston movement of the steering wheel. 20 is mounted in the cylinder 15. Each piston Another object of the invention is to provide is provided with a rounded end 21 riding in cona hydraulic steering gear i hi h th nne tact with the arm 18 and each piston is provided tion between the steering shaft and the forward With a piston ring 22 fit t cylinde W wheels of the automobile is entirely hydraulic The outer end of the shaft 1'7 extends through so that any shock to the forward wheels of the a bracket 23 which is secured to the housing wall automobile cannot be transmitted through the as shown in Fig. 2. A gasket is preferably mount-- steering mechanism to the driver of the auto-- ed between the bracket. 23. and the hous s' mobile. to prevent leakage of the hydraulic medium and A. further object of the invention is to provide the shaft 1'7 is also pr fera l P ovided with a a steering means including a hydraulic pump packing to prevent aka alone the sha t. driven by the steering shaft of the automobile in thou h n h r shown. The terminal end of either direction according to the direction of t s a t is preferably splinedzto receive the tati of th stee -11g .shaft. steering arm 24 and is threaded at the end to re- These objects and the several novel features eeive he nut The bracket 23 is 0 P o of the invention are hereinafter more fully de- With B fla 6 by W ieh it may be attached t0 scribed and claimed and the preferred form of the automobil chassis as shown in Fig. 1. a5

is shown in the accompanying drawing in which cesses '1 and ;8 provided therefor in the housing Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a hydraulic steering 5 and closely fit their respective recesses. A

gear embodying my invention. I gasket 2'1 is provided betweenthe housing 5 and Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 2-2 cover 4 and the cover 4 closely fits the upper faces of Fig. 1. of the gears 9 and 10. Thecover 4 is secured to 90 Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. the housing 5 by the machine screws 28 and the Fig. 4 is a view of an alternative form of hyconduits 13 and 13a, cylinders 14 and 15 and the draulically actuated member. teeth of the gears 9 and 10 are filled with a hy- The device comprises a steering shaft 1 shown draulic medium such as ice machine oil whose in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 which is rotatably mounted in viscosity vari y s htly und r n rmal tema steering column 2 and is provided with a steerperature variations. ing wheel 3 secured to the upper end thereof'as With the sy filled w 011 the d v c is shown in Fig. 1. The steering shaft 1 extends ready for operation. As will be understood from through the cover plate 4 of the housing 5 as Fig. 2 rotation of the steering shaft 1 in a clock- In shown in Fig. 3 and the steering column 2 is wise direction will produce a similar rotation of also threaded into the cover plate 4 to force the the gear 10. s this a 10 meshes w t the ar packing 6 to engage and pack the steering shaft 1. 9, the gear 9 will be rotated in a counter clock- The housing 5 is provided in the top surface wise direction. This causes the teeth of the thereof with a pair of recesses '7 and ,8 for the gears 9' and 10 to pick up oil from the conduit m5 pump gears 9 and 10 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. 13 between the teeth thereof which is carried The gear 10 is secured to the end of the steering about the peripheries of the gears 9 and 10 by shaft 1 and is piloted in a bushing 11 as shown their rotationuntil the. teeth come into mesh in Fig. 3. The gear 9 is provided with stud shafts again in the end' of the conduit113a. As the teeth 12 on opposite sides thereof which are similarly move into mesh the oil is forced out from'between piloted in the housing 5 and cover 4, though not the. teeth into the conduit 13a. This forces the oil through the conduit 13a into the cylinder 15 thus forcing the piston 20 upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3. By its engagement with the arm 18 the piston 20 turns the arm 18 upwardly thus moving the piston 19 upwardly to compensate for the oil withdrawn from the conduit 13.

If the steering shaft and gear 10 are rotated in a counter clockwise direction the operation is reversed. Under this condition oil is withdrawn from the conduit 13a and is forced into the con-, duit 13 thus forcing the pistons 19'and 20 and arm 18 downwardly to turn the steering arm 24 in the opposite direction. The steering arm 24 is provided with a terminal ball end 29 shown in Fig. 1 which is usually connected by a pitman rod or drag link for turning the forward wheels of p q the shaft in one direction and movement of the the automobile, though not here shown,

It will be noted that there is no connection between the steering arm shaft 18 and the steering wheel shaft 1 except by the hydraulic medium and therefore any shocks imparted to the forward wheels of theautomobile or to the steering arm 18 cannot be transmitted to the steering shaft or to the steering wheel 3. As will be noted from Fig. 2 even though the oil is under atremendous pressure in the conduit 13 or 13a from an imparted shock, it cannot turn the gears 9 and 10 as the very turning of the gears under this pressure would tend to produce a greater back pressure by forcing more oil into the same conduit. At the same time the steering action is flexible and smooth and the forward wheels of the automobile are held very firmly.

An alternative form of the device is shown in Fig.4 in which a gear 30 is secured to the shaft .17 and the pistons 19 and 20 are connected by a piston rod 31. This piston rod 31 is toothed to provide a rack so that movement of the pistons 19 and 20 in, either direction turns the gear'30, shaft 17 and steering arm 24. In either form a slight leakage of oil past the pistons will. do no harm as the oil between the pistons will readily travel with the pistons in either direction.

From the foregoing description it becomes evident that the device is very simple and efiicient in operation, is very positive in action, will prevent the transmission of road shocks to the steering wheel and provides a device which. accomplishes the objects described.

Having thus fully described my invention, its

utility and mode of operation, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is- 1. In a hydraulic steering gear, a housing, a gear pump within the housing, a steering shaft for rotating the gear pump, in either direction, a cylinder formed in the housing, a pair of pistons movable longitudinally of the cylinder, the housing being formed to provide conduits from the gear pump to each end of the cylinder, a.

shaft rotatably mounted in the housing, a camon the shaft extending between the pistons whereby movement of the pistons in one direction turns ing rotatably mounted therein, the end of the shaft extending from said bracket and a steering arm secured to the extending end of the shaft. 2. In a hydraulic steering gear, a one piece housing having a cover, a pair of gears meshing together and rotatably mounted in the housing to provide a gear pump, a steering shaft secured to one of said gears and rotatably mounted in the housing cover, a cylinder extending through the housing, a closure for each end of the cylinder, a conduit formed in the housing and leading from one side of the gear pump to one end of the cylinder, a second conduit formed in the housing and leading from the other side of the gear pump to the other end of the cylinder, .a

pair of pistons movable in either direction longi- 

